Shame on who?

To the Editor:

I have lived in West County for most of my adult life; a recent event has made me question the morality and judgment of those who live in this area. Last year I was at a Blues game downtown and parked in a lot near the arena. It was the night we had a terrible storm, and it hailed on most of downtown. After the game we went to our car and noticed someone had backed into the car. It caused considerable damage, which was on top of the hail damage.

The first thing I did was to look for some kind of note with a name and phone number of the person who did this and some sort of explanation.

I looked and looked, but found no note and was left empty. How could someone do this and not leave any kind of communication? I thought about it on my way home and realized that there were probably 18,000 people at the game. Too many suspects to draw any conclusion of who did it, so why bother leaving a note? It was a perfect scenario to commit a crime and get away with it.

Shame on you.

Then on Nov. 28, my daughter arrived home from the Daniel Boone Library where she was studying with a friend. She walked into the house with two pieces of glass from her car in hand.

She said she was parked face-to-face in the lot with other cars. She noticed that there was glass on the ground, and that there was noticeable damage to the front bumper and headlight assembly.

The first thing she did was look around the windshield for some kind of note with a phone number or name so that she might contact the honest person for more information. Nothing, no note, no explanation.

She went back into the library and asked the librarian if anyone had come in and said anything about hitting a car in the parking lot. Again, nothing.

Shame on me.

For some reason I thought we were different, that being from West County we have higher standards, a better moral fiber. That if it was me (and it has been me) that I would be honest and considerate enough to leave a note with my name and phone number, and even an apology. I have done this before.

How hard is it to be honest?

How hard is it to respect other people and their property?

I am disappointed that I cannot trust the community in which I choose to reside.

My daughter was at the library, in a lighted parking lot around 6-8 p.m.

Somebody has blue paint from the bumper of our car on their front passenger side bumper.

Somebody has not taught their child how to be honest; how to do the right thing. Or could it be an adult who has no morality?

Am I asking too much? Are my expectations too high?

I have taught my kids to do the right thing. Shouldn’t others do the same?

This is just a microcosm of what is wrong with society today. The dynamics of our demographic are changing daily; we should demand more from our community. It shouldn’t matter where we live, we should expect certain basic behaviors and morals.

David Tharenos

Ballwin